Adrian
The hallway was hushed, the kind of silence that feels deliberate—like someone had pressed pause on the world. Elara slowed her steps, balancing her tray of books as she caught the low hum of voices beyond the half-open door to the east wing.
She shouldn’t be here. Not during lunch. Not when everyone else was at the cafeteria. But curiosity, the same stubborn thread that had tangled her in Adrian Vale's orbit, tugged her closer.
“…she’s here now,” a voice murmured, sharp yet controlled. Male. Older. “And you’re already breaking the first rule.”
Elara stilled.
“I make my own rules.” Adrian. His tone was a velvet edge—smooth enough to sound calm, sharp enough to cut if provoked.
The older man gave a bitter laugh. “Your father would disagree.”
Father? Elara blinked.
“And you think I care what he’d say?” Adrian’s voice dropped, dangerous now. “I warned him—I warned all of them—that I don’t play by their script.”
Something heavy thudded against the wall. Elara’s grip on her books tightened as she stepped back, heart pounding. She didn’t know what this was—an argument, a power play—but the name Vale suddenly felt heavier, sharper. Like a blade wrapped in silk.
Her phone buzzed softly in her pocket, jolting her back to herself. Too loud. Too obvious. She slipped away, barely breathing, her mind burning with questions.
Adrian stood still long after the door clicked shut behind the man. The tension bled out of the air, leaving only the echo of his own anger—and something else. Something he couldn’t name.
Why did you come here, Elara? he thought. Not to this hallway—though that was trouble enough—but into his life. Into the space he’d sealed off long ago.
He dragged a hand through his hair and crossed to the window, staring at the manicured gardens below. From up here, the world looked orderly. Controlled. A lie.
He remembered the way she looked at him earlier—fearless, like no one had ever told her to bow. It wasn’t admiration. It wasn’t the shallow awe he was used to. It was something purer, something he had no right to crave.
And yet, he’d offered. That stupid, reckless offer. Protection. From what? The vultures circling her? Or himself?
A bitter smile curved his mouth. He’d made the offer because he couldn’t help himself. Because every time she walked into a room, the ground tilted—and Adrian Vale did not lose his footing. Not for anyone.
So why her?
The answer throbbed in his chest like an unspoken truth. Because she reminded him of the one thing he’d buried when he chose this life. The one thing he could never have again.
Adrian shut his eyes, but the image of Elara lingered—her quiet defiance, her laugh like sunlight through smoke. He should stay away. He knew he should. But knowing and doing were two different games. And Adrian Vale never been one to fold.
Not even for her.
ns216.73.216.20da2
and then Add to home screen.